The Los Angeles Angels are one of many teams expected to be sellers at the MLB trade deadline. The Detroit Tigers are another team that could sell, and Tarik Skubal is someone who is drawing a lot of interest around the league.
But there is only one Skubal, and plenty of teams that are sure to try to trade for him. What should those teams that miss out on Skubal do in the trade market for left-handed pitching?
MLB.com’s Brent Maguire named one 4.26 ERA Angels pitcher, left-hander Reid Detmers, as a potential option for teams that miss out on Skubal to acquire at the trade deadline.
Reid Detmers is backup trade option for teams that miss out on Tarik Skubal
“For many teams that potentially miss out on Skubal – or aren’t willing to meet Detroit’s likely high asking price — there are several other intriguing pitchers who could be on the move,” Maguire writes. “In terms of left-hander starters, one pitcher to monitor is the Angels’ Reid Detmers.”
With only one Skubal and plenty of teams showing interest and willing to try and land a new starter like him, there will be a lot of teams that need to pivot.
For those clubs, someone like Detmers might be a much more realistic, affordable, and appealing trade option than many of the other pitchers who could be available.
Detmers is going to be 27 years old on July 8 and has shown some promise in his big league career so far. Last season, he had a 3.96 ERA in 61 games as strictly a reliever.
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This season, back in a starting role, he has a 4.26 ERA in 13 starts with 1.0 bWAR, 88strikeouts in 74 innings, and a 98 ERA+.
While he’s a little below average and isn’t the former Cy Young-winning ace that Skubal is, he’s a lot more appealing to a team like the Chicago White Sox for a simple reason: control.
Unlike Skubal, who is a free agent and sure to leave after 2026, Detmers is under club control through the 2028 season, with two more years of arbitration after 2026.
Trading Detmers now would make sense for the rebuilding Angels, especially if teams get a little desperate and offer something worthwhile in return.
For all of the teams that miss out on Skubal in the trade market, Detmers of the Angels is an intriguing backup trade option who might actually be a better long-term investment for most clubs than the back-to-back Cy Young winner himself.